Education & technology post-COVID

THE EDITOR, Madam:

THE PANDEMIC has caught the world by surprise, or so we have been told. Nevertheless, teaching and learning will never be the same, and why should they?

The monolithic way of disseminating information has been forced out and technology has taken precedence. But is that such a bad thing?

Jamaica is moving exponentially to revert to face-to-face teaching. The reasons have been rumours of cheating, lack of accessibility to the Internet and technology tools/devices such as laptops, tablets and phones, lack or little to no social interaction, the struggle of some students to keep up with the flow of technology, to name a few. But should we be going backwards?

There are many positives to be had from this conundrum. As we face more and more threats of additional waves, the governments of the world are busy trying to convince the populous of the benefits of being vaccinated. This process has been slow and, therefore, the mutation of the virus has superseded the effectiveness of the vaccines to combat the spread. But let us analyse the learning mechanism being used to teach our children/students. Information can be sent via email, Google classroom and other media, while classes are done live, most are recorded for future reference and responses can be immediate.

Everyone gets a seat at the front of the class both audio and video. Teachers and lecturers can interact closer, quicker and more effectively with each student and they can respond synchronously.

We see students in the third form, navigating and completing well-constructed presentations and are eloquent as they present. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. There will be students who would do better with face-to-face interaction. Others face mental, physical and even sexual abuse at home. Some are overworked because of additional chores, and many are distracted by the surroundings and other devices around them. Some parents are excited for the time away from the children for peace of mind, or for someone else to ‘babysit’. Albeit, rushing to face to face may not be the wherewithal or the saviour to these problems. We need to realise why some students are falling behind and mitigate ways to alleviate and rectify using proven solutions to improve the system. This pandemic has exposed some problems that may have been quiescent or even ignored within the education system. Students lack critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, civic duties and responsibilities and even acceptable cultural etiquette and morals.

Let us get all hands on deck to utilise and implement solutions that can resolve the crisis in the education systems.

“It takes a village to raise a child”

– African proverb

LAURENE WARD-DOUGLAS

Tourism Major BSc – Final-year student at UWI, Mona